Sherlock series 3 launched last night, and to celebrate, the Hypable staff have picked their favorite moments from “The Empty Hearse.”

Sherlock is only on air for about two weeks every two years, so when we do get these concentrated bursts of brilliance, it’s important to enjoy every second of it that we can! To help you relish this short but sweet broadcast window, Hypable writers Harri Sargeant and Marama Whyte have selected their 10 favorite moments from “The Empty Hearse” in the first of a series of Sherlock articles, accompanied by GIFs made by writer Tariq Kyle. Check them out below, and make sure you share your faves in the comments below!

When Sherlock reads Mary, he comes up with, amongst other things, “clever” and “liar.” If she ranks as clever on Sherlock Holmes’ standards, she is certainly one to watch. The “liar” tag also has us asking questions, as does Mary’s ability to decipher a skip code immediately. Is there more to the future Mrs. Watson than meets the eye?

Mary is a delightful addition to the series, and we adore Amanda Abbington’s portrayal. The undeniable chemistry between Abbington and Freeman is easily explained by the fact that they are real-life partners; the chemistry between Abbington and Cumberbatch comes down to them both being fantastic actors. A woman who isn’t threatened by John and Sherlock’s friendship? Now that’s someone who we are interested in.

She gives dramatic readings of John’s blog, she put up with the moustache disaster, and she suggests T-shirts that say “I don’t shave for Sherlock Holmes.” She interrupts her own marriage proposal to applaud herself. Mary arrived in Sherlock as a likeable, complicated and fully formed character. We can’t wait to get to know her better, and next week’s “The Sign of Three” looks like a great place to start. – Marama Whyte

As soon as the first images of Sherlock series 3 were released, fans were a little concerned about John Watson’s new moustache. As it turned out, so were all of the characters – everyone had a quip or two to make about the strange choice in facial hair. Even Mrs. Hudson had a sarcastic comment up her sleeve.

But it was the interchanges between Sherlock, John and Mary that provided the best entertainment. The great detective (sans his own drawn on ‘tache) insulted the upper-lip-slug within minutes of revealing he was still alive, earning himself a punch. And that wasn’t even the end of it, as Mary eventually confessed she wasn’t a fan. The T-shirt’s in the post.

It was a fun nod to the classic image of Doctor Watson, but most of the fandom are thrilled to see the back of it. Let’s just hope Sherlock never goes into hiding again, or else we might see some strange sideburns or even a goatee. – Harri Sargeant

Oh, Molly. It was all going so well! Having turned down Sherlock’s offer of a romantic date at the local fish and chip bar, it seemed that the bumbling scientist had finally moved on. So when she brought her boyfriend to Baker Street to celebrate the super sleuth’s miraculous return, we all waited with bated breath to see what he would be like.

As it turned out, he bore more than a passing resemblance to Sherlock – from his long coat and shoes to the trademark scarf, Tom could have easily passed as the corpse used in the Reichenbach stunt. Thankfully, her friends go down the tactful route and don’t point out the similarities. Instead, they just share a few grins when her back’s turned.

We’ll have to wait to find out what the future holds for Molly and Tom, but let’s just hope he doesn’t end up like “Jim from IT” and launch a criminal network hell-bent on dismantling her former crush’s reputation. – Harri Sargeant

“The Empty Hearse” was a highly comedic episode, but a lot of those laughs were derived from Anderson’s group for like-minded people – or the “I believe in Sherlock Holmes” support group.

And in Sherlock, as in real life, the theories said a lot more about the fans themselves than they related to the real events of the story. Anderson, a man very obviously racked with guilt over his part in the defamation of Sherlock Holmes, has turned Sherlock into a James Bond-esque figure, complete with kissing the girl. Other fans, perhaps more interested in Sherlock’s personal life than his ability to cheat death, give us even less likely explanations.

But what they all have in common is that they are hilarious, and in an episode dedicated to answering How Sherlock Did It, they were a neat story tool and a fun apology for inspiring two years of fan speculation. Mainly, we were disappointed that we didn’t get to hear more of their outlandish theories. Perhaps that is something for the DVD special features.- Marama Whyte

Sherlock Holmes returned in this series 3 opener as a changed man. With the episode taking place two years after the events of season 2, we were a little worried that we were going to see the same old (albeit brilliant) Sherlock Holmes. How wrong we were.

The balance of “The Empty Hearse” is tricky. Sherlock is funnier than in the past two seasons, and in some ways seems to have mellowed – as seen in his interactions with his parents, and his behaviour toward Mary. And yet his ability to read social conventions and situations is even worse – he seriously thinks surprising John is the best method to break the news to him.

Given that Sherlock has been away from the very people who seemed to have humanised him, it is not surprising that he has (in some ways) reverted to his pre-series 1 state. But the development in other facets of his personality give us hope that he is a character who is growing and changing, and unlikely to stay stuck as a blunt one-joke character. – Marama Whyte

YES to all of these. I love the bit with Moriarty. And I love the way that girl with the nose piercing says “oh my god” because its hysterical.

somegirl91

Not gonna lie, I stared at that GIF for a few minutes, just cracking up haha.

DarrensGirl7

Me too

http://xyue-mayx.deviantart.com/ Dreamer

I absolutely loved all of the scenes with the Holmes brothers. It was just so entertaining to see them interacting and acting like brothers. My favorite comedic bit from the show was the whole restaurant scene with Mr. Master of Disguise.

*whips glasses off* “Surprise!”

waterandwords

I agree! Benedict Cumberbatch should really do more comedic projects soon.

Kate

All of these…and then Benedict’s parents popping in to play Sherlock’s parents :)

Annie Downey

These are my favorite moments too! My father who is also a fan of Sherlock asked if it is worth the wait (i didnt wait for him to watch it!) and I said 100 times yes!

https://twitter.com/#!/HarriSargeant Harri Sargeant

I love the gif from the underground because that’s pretty much Sherlock in a nutshell.

Lotte

What an amazing and accurate summary from the last episode. Really well done, Hypable.

Winkyxx

I loved this episode! I ship Molly and Sherlock.

Lisa

For me, it was anytime Cumberbatch shared the screen with Freeman. The interactions of those two characters are what makes this show shine. They are phenomenal actors and they are a joy to watch- no more than when they are together.

kelsey0403

Two words:

Ffff—Cough.

Tygridia

It’s been a week and a half and I’m still laughting at that one

Laurelin

VERY pro the DVD special features idea for the Sherlock Lives theories

Alysia Dugan

Could you guys maybe do these after it premieres in the US and Australia? Some of us aren’t comfortable illegally downloading the show (and getting a ton of viruses along with it).

rena

It doesn’t have to be illegal. I’d recommend CokeandPopcorn. Besides, who knows when it will air in Australia?

TrinainUS

You might want to check out ZenMate. I’ll still watch on PBS, and obviously I buy the DVDs, so I don’t feel I’m doing any harm. Especially since word is that PBS was offered a Jan. 1 air date and declined it.

Sophiesquirels

In the uk its not illegal if you just watch it as long as you dont download it or give them money my bet its the same in the US and Australia and as long as you have good virus protection and your carefull you will be fine

Guest

It’s on YouTube for crying out loud. There is this thing called Google – use it instead of whining .

Alysia Dugan

When this article was posted (and when I commented on it), it was the day after it aired and even in this day and age, shit doesn’t make it onto the internet that fast. Not to mention, anything on YouTube probably a) has extremely questionable quality or b) would be blocked for viewing outside the UK because YouTube and the BBC aren’t stupid. Pull the stick out of your ass and quit being rude to someone who had a genuine concern shared by many other American fans.

Kerstika

I’m an American, and I think you should save the entitled attitude for American blogs. You got into a British show. It airs before we can see it. There will be spoilers. The whole world is not going to stop for you, princess.

Seriously, the last thing we Americans need is another narcissist demanding her own way. Our PR is bad enough!

S. Holmes

I’m not trying to be a smartarse or anything, but I’d imagine that if you haven’t watched it and you saw an article called ‘Favourite Moments of Blah Blah’ you’d avoid that article like the plague, wouldn’t that be the smartest/safest thing to do? Otherwise don’t complain.

Alysia Dugan

Hence why I scrolled past the entire article without looking at anything.

TrinainUS

I loved the entire episode, but the scenes that most come to mind for me are 1) The initial Sherlock/John/Mary scene, 2) Anderson’s fantasy (with that kiss!) and 3) The Underground carriage scene.

Hawk

All of these…
and then when he finally puts on his infamous “Detective” hat ;D

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